In the Pain of Loss
by Ying-Fa-dono
Summary: One-shot. After the mysterious death of Belle in the psych ward, Mr. Gold approaches Emma Swan and opens her eyes to the very real dangers that await her should she continue to fight Regina and attempts to strike a deal that could change everything...


**Ying-Fa: My first Once Upon A Time piece! A little one-shot which has been in my head. Please do enjoy, readers!**

"Her name was Michelle French," Regina explained as Emma read over the dead girl's file. "Her father is…"

"Let me guess," Emma interrupted. "Moe French, the florist."

"Correct," said Regina. She looked over at the cold metal slab on which the girl's body had been placed, hidden from sight by a white sheet. "Poor girl. She was a lovely girl but…an unstable one. She's had a history of mental illness for as long as anyone can remember."

"And just how long did you have her in this private psych ward, anyway?" Emma asked.

Regina gave a slight shrug. "A few years now. There was…an incident. Like I said, the girl always suffered various degrees of mental instability. Then, shortly after Mr. Gold fired her and her boyfriend went missing, she suffered a severe mental collapse."

Emma raised an eyebrow at her mayor, studying her critically. Regina recognized the look of scrutiny so added, bluntly, "She was a danger to herself, Miss Swan. Herself and to others. Mr. French and I had a little talk and we agreed that it would be best if she was kept…away from others for a little while. I suggested the ward and her father agreed that it was in her best interest. You'll see his signature there on her form."

Emma did see it, to her dismay. "So this man threw his own daughter into a psych ward? Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"Well, first off you didn't really need to know," Regina said, callously. "And secondly…well, the entire affair was really rather embarrassing for Mr. French. Everybody wondered what had happened to her, some even tried to sneak into the ward to get a glimpse of her…it wasn't safe for her, you see. So, Mr. French spread a rumor that…well, that the girl was dead. When she failed to resurface, people believed the rumor and the issue was dropped."

"He told everyone she was dead?" said Emma, her voice thick with disbelief.

Regina allowed herself a smile. "It was his idea, Miss Swan, not mine."

"Right," said Emma, though she detected some kind of lie behind that smile, but she wasn't sure what it was about. "You said something about Mr. Gold a second ago. What did he have to do with all this?"

"She used to clean his house while he was at work," Regina explained, smoothly. "It was one of his _arrangements_ with her father. It was something for the girl to do and it certainly seemed good for her at the time. I believe Mr. Gold was actually rather fond of her, up until he fired her."

"Why did he fire her?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged slightly. "You'd have to ask him that."

"I'll do that," said Emma, turning her attention back to the report on Michelle French. "So, the cause of death…"

"Cardiac arrest," said Regina. "Natural causes, correct?"

Emma's eyes flicked suspiciously upward at that. "Yeah," she said, slowly.

"Tragic," said Regina, with an unconvincingly sad sigh. "But, her life wasn't an easy one. At least now, the poor child can rest in peace."

Emma closed the file and tucked it under her arm before taking another look at the lifeless body of Michelle French on the corner's slab. "I guess so," said Emma. It sounded, to her at least, that a lot of the girl's misery could be avoided.

"If you need nothing else from me, Miss Swan, I'm needed elsewhere," said Regina, turning her back on the Storybrooke Sherriff. She turned on the spot and left, making sure the woman she hated didn't see the smug smile curling itself on her face. It wouldn't do for her to look anything unlike a grieving mayor who had just lost a citizen in her precious town.

Killing Belle was something she'd had to do, just as it had been with Graham. After Rumpelstiltskin had cast her out of his castle, Belle had wandered around the Enchanted Forest, alone. Torn between going back home and longing to be back with Rumpelstiltskin, she hadn't known what to do. When the Queen had found her again, she'd offered the girl a new home in her own castle, a place of honor, in exchange for all she knew about Rumpelstiltskin. But the girl had refused. She said that it was the Queen's doing that had caused her former Master to throw her out in the first place. That she, the Queen, had ruined everything and that she couldn't betray him again, not now that she knew he was her true love. Belle had felt certain that he would realize his mistake before long and he'd come back for her, look for her, and they'd break his curse together. The Queen hadn't taken well to that, not at all. So, as her personal punishment, she thrust her hand into the girl's breast and ripped out her heart. The heart was then locked into her vault and its owner was thrown into the Queen's dungeon.

A short while ago, back in Storybrooke, when "Mr. Gold" had informed her that he did, indeed, know who he really was, it had worried Regina. He couldn't have him snooping around anymore. He was safest when he believed that the girl was dead. Then, a little while ago, Gold had somehow found his way into the psychiatric ward in the hospital. He didn't see Belle, but he'd tried too. It had been a close thing, too close. Gold needed to be put in his place. He thought he was the power in this place? Well, she'd just have to fix that. So, the next day, she'd gone into her vault and removed Belle's heart from its place and crushed it into nonexistence. Barely five minutes later, the nurse called to inform her that their most private patient was dead. She finally got her well-deserved point on Rumpelstiltskin.

Speaking of whom, there he was, right now. Sitting in the waiting room not far from where Belle's body now lay. His hands were folded on the top of his cane and his forehead was resting on top of them. His hair hid most of his face, so his expression was impossible to make out. Feeling smug, Regina went over to give him her condolences. When she was about a foot away, she opened her mouth to speak, but Gold beat her to it. His voice was low and dangerous.

"_Please_ shut up and go away."

Regina froze, her smile slid off her face. Without a word, she turned on the spot and began walking in the opposite direction. She barely noticed Emma as she marched away with barely any idea of where she was going so long as she obeyed Gold's request.

Emma watched the mayor leaving and turned her attention to Mr. Gold. Suddenly the things he said on the night he nearly beat Moe French to death made sense to Emma. So, it had been French's daughter who Gold had been talking about. Emma approached him cautiously, but as he did with Regina, Gold spoke before she could.

"Seen enough yet, Miss Swan?" he said, his voice a little softer than it had been with Regina. He lifted his head so she could see his face. His expression was that of controlled anger and his eyes were red.

"I don't know what you mean?" Emma said, carefully.

"The strangle-hold that Regina has over this place," he said, looking at the opposite wall rather than at Emma. "Nobody, not even me, can escape her destructive power. She finds what it is you care about most…and destroys it."

"Is that what that girl was?" Emma asked, eyeing Gold. "What you cared about most?"

"She knew I was fond of her," said Gold, bitterly. "She knew that I was willing get her the help she needed. She knew…she knew I would try and make up for what I did."

"And what did you do?" Emma asked.

Gold didn't answer for a long time, but continued to glare at the wall. Finally, his gaze slid over to Emma and she had to try not to shudder. Gold was creepy at the best of times but right now he was downright scary.

"Let's just say…I said the wrong thing at the wrong time," said Gold, carefully. "The _Mayor_," he hissed the word "saw fit to use her against me. The next thing I hear is that…is that she's dead."

"You think she wanted you to feel it was your fault," said Emma, remembering what Gold had been saying the night she arrested him.

"_It's not my fault! It's your fault! It's your fault!"_

Gold hesitated again. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said, bitterly. He rose to his feet. "You know what the problem is with Regina, Miss Swan? She can't stand rivalry. It doesn't matter what it is. Whether someone is better looking, more powerful," he leaned in towards Emma slightly "_better loved_, she can't take it. She'll do her best to make sure that anyone who threatens her perfect existence is made to pay."

Emma stared at him, alarmed. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that you'd better take extra care of yourself, Emma," said Gold.

"That supposed to be a threat?" Emma asked.

"A warning," Gold corrected her. "You've got more free will in your little finger than everyone in this forsaken place combined and she knows it. That's why she's gone through so much trouble to tame you. I've seen it happening bit-by-bit. The further she pulls that boy from you, the more you try to please her."

Emma blinked. "Henry?"

"Oh, come on!" snapped Gold, his voice rising. "You really think that her _maternal instinct_ is why she's keeping him away from you? He's your _leash_, Emma, and she's taking advantage of your feelings for him to make sure that you toe the line. But let me ask you something." He came in even closer and spoke in a dangerously soft voice. "What happens when it doesn't work anymore?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, warily.

"I mean, what happens when that boy turns eighteen and can do what he likes," said Gold, looking more and more dangerous by the second. "Or maybe sooner, given that he seems to have inherited a bit of your spirit, Miss Swan. She's already going out of her way to make sure he does what she wants him to do, while he's still young and impressionable. But he's growing up and he's going to keep growing. He'll realize, eventually, that he wants to be with you more than her." He came closer still and whispered, "As of today, there's a vacancy in the town psychiatric ward, Miss Swan."

Emma's eyes widened. "No," she said, firmly. "Regina is a lot of things, but she wouldn't do that to Henry. All things considered she loves him…"

"Think about it," Gold snapped again. "The boy's ten and she's already got him in therapy. He's already run away from home and, if he doesn't give up this fairy tale thing soon…well, there's your _history of mental illness_."

Emma shook her head, her stunned eyes never leaving Gold's face. "She wouldn't do that…she couldn't do that…"

"From a doctor's standpoint, no. As his mother's standpoint, certainly she could. One slip from either of you and, before you know it, that boy is locked up for good. You'll end up right where I am now…filled with regret and defeated by our lovely _Madam Mayor_.

So, Emma, for the last time I'm going to make you the same offer I gave awhile ago. _Use my power!_ Accept my help. Use what I can give you, I beg of you. You can't beat her alone. I can't beat her alone. Together…together we can do anything. And if you're worried that I'm just going to ask for another favor from you, you needn't worry. The only price I'll ask for this…is to be there, and see her face, when her perfect world is destroyed and for her to know that I helped do it." Gold took one hand off his cane and held it out, his eyes wide as coins, his demeanor was manic.

"_Do we have a deal?_"

Emma stared at Mr. Gold's hand, then looked past him to see Moe French sobbing across the hall, then down to the Sherriff's badge hanging off her belt, then up to the ceiling as she remembered the corpse of Michelle French lying beneath that sheet and envisioning the sheet being pulled back to reveal Henry's pale, lifeless form. Finally, she looked back into Mr. Gold's face.

"You bet we do."

She reached out and grasped his hand and Mr. Gold's face became alight with triumph.


End file.
